“Go Ahead” is a splendid piece of television art that is sure to delight you! Everything is exquisitely presented, beautifully shot, written, and acted. The format and style conform to international production standards of TV series, always entirely Chinese in feeling, mood, and psychology. 《以家人之名》是一部精彩的电视剧，一定会让您满意！ 一切都精美呈现，从拍摄，剧本和表演，到感觉、情绪和心理上完全中国化，但这并不影响这部电视剧在制作和风格上，符合国际电视剧制作的高标准。 The series tells the story of three non blood-related kids who became each other's family. It premiered on Hunan TV. And showed widely in China, Vietnam, on YouTube, Netflix, and other networks. 该剧讲述了三个没有血缘关系的孩子成为彼此家人的故事，在中国湖南卫视首播，并在越南、YouTube、Netflix 和其他网络上上线。 My own personal taste in TV series is for The Sopranos and The Wired. I usually prefer spicier fare than Go Ahead. This series is a high-octane, super sweet confection. I got seriously hooked. It tugs at your heart strings. I felt deeply moved by the story, and felt close to the characters. The heavy emotional overlay draws the viewer into a marvelous world. It is filled with deep emotions, extremely warm people. 其实我喜欢《黑道家族》和《火线》这类，风格比《以家人之名》更“刺激”的电视剧，但《以家人之名》像是一种高热量、高甜度的甜品，让我上瘾了！ 它时时刻刻都在牵动着你的心弦，我被故事深深地打动了，对主人公们有了亲近感，复杂的情感叠加在一起，将观众带入一个奇妙的世界，它充满了浓郁的情感，温暖人心。 Characteristics we recognize everywhere are just as evident in this view of China, from crass commercialism, deep love, dirty tricks, kindness and hatred. Just like anywhere. 我们所熟悉的各种情感都在这部剧的价值观中体现出来，从粗暴的商业主义、真挚的爱、卑鄙的伎俩、到善良和仇恨，就像世界上任何地方一样。  What I disliked in the series was the intrusive music. The music often disturbed me, making fun of certain situations, intruding in the events, heavy-handedly telling the viewer what to think. I would have asked the editor to use real sound and skip the super sweet “commentary” music. 我不是很喜欢这部电视剧的配乐，具有侵入性，经常打扰我的观影，配乐要么跳脱出剧情，要么介入事件，意图告诉观众应该怎么想，如果问我的意见，我会要求音乐编辑使用真实声音并跳过刻意的“解说”音乐。 The views of Chinese life are exquisite, shocking and astonishing. I visited China eight times in the 1980s so I was especially surprised and impressed by seeing it now. The series is based in a big city, where everything gleams of international box culture. 中国人的人生观，精妙绝伦，震撼人心，令人叹为观止。我在上个世纪 80 年代曾多次访问中国，这部剧向我展示了当代中国的发展，我感到特别惊讶和印象深刻，该剧以一座大城市为背景，那里的一切都闪耀着人类共同文化的光芒。 The central character is a master cook, who is the basis of the new family. Food is the essence of his love and nurture. He is the most likable character in the series. The nonstop flow of amazing dishes on screen makes me hungry over and over! And the profession of master cook is shown with great love and respect.   本剧的主角是一位大厨李海潮（涂松岩饰），他是新家庭的中心，食物是他给予的营养和爱，他也是该系列中最讨人喜欢的角色，屏幕上不断涌现的美味佳肴让我一遍又一遍地感到饥饿！李海潮“大厨”的职业受到极大的爱戴和尊重。 The three young people are all superstar actors, and they grace the screen with their presence. I love the young girl star who plays Jian Jian. She is entirely natural, outspoken, immensely attractive. The young actress who plays her in early childhood is also perfectly cast and an excellent actress in her own way. 剧中的三个年轻演员在中国都是家喻户晓的明星，他们的出现让银幕熠熠生辉，我喜欢扮演李尖尖的年轻女星（谭松韵饰），她完全自然，直率，极具吸引力，李尖尖的童年饰演者也是完美的演员，相信她会以自己的方式成为一名优秀的女演员。 Especially revealing for the non-Chinese audience is the open showing of some less admirable characteristics. Many of the persons we meet are cruel and despicable. The neighborhood gossipers are cruel. The beautiful film actress girl is nasty. We see family strife, a husband beating his wife, children being abandoned, pretty women lured to Singapore for a “better life” with a Mercedes-driving sugar daddy. People strike each other frequently, fall down stairs, get violently ill, and too many scenes are before the door to the Emergency Room. There is no attempt to pretty up these ugly sides of life in China. It is refreshingly honest that China can be so open about shortcomings and difficulties. 对于非华人观众来说，这部剧真正揭露了一些不那么令人钦佩的社会现象，毕竟我们在生活中遇到的许多人都是残忍和卑鄙的，比如邻里间直白的八卦，令人讨厌的电影女演员，我们还看到家庭的纷争，丈夫殴打妻子，孩子被遗弃，漂亮女人被引诱到新加坡与开奔驰的大款“过上更好的生活”，打架、摔楼梯、重病，急诊室门前的场景也有很多，主创们没有试图美化生活中的这一面，这也是本剧最令人耳目一新的一面，中国的创作者们可以坦诚面对缺点和困难。 The plot seems to slow down. Everything is presented with gobs of sweetness, and there are few ongoing plot lines. Every character presented seems to have a backstory stained by divorce, death, betrayal. As the story goes on, the characters all get older, and their relationship goes through trials and even fist fights. 本剧的剧情张弛有度，甜蜜的意味充斥着全剧，每个人的故事交叉上演，每个角色都有复杂的背景故事。随着故事的进展，角色们都变老和长大了，他们的关系也在磕磕碰碰中经历住了考验。 The same ongoing themes are accompanied by the same sweet background music. It seems the composer got more serious and inserts much “joking” musical commentary. Just like life itself, the series seems to go up and down with mild perturbations. Otherwise, there are no driving themes, just the kindness of the lead character, the cook, who finally finds love and marriage.     本剧的主题和背景音乐一样温馨而甜美，作曲家似乎没有那么的严肃，他插入了很多“温暖”的音乐评论。就像生活本身一样，这部电视剧随着轻微纷乱而上下起伏，一切都自然发生，当然，只有主角的善良是不行的，欣慰的是，李海潮最终找到了专属于他的爱情和婚姻。  

“The Longest Day In Chang’an is an immersive and unforgettable show that, despite its frenetic storytelling, is in no hurry to reach its epic conclusion.” “《长安十二时辰》是一部身临其境、令人难忘的电视剧，尽管它的故事情节很离奇，但并不影响达到史诗般的高度。” Historical dramas made for television rarely reach the ambitious heights that The Longest Day In Chang’an scales throughout its epic 48-episode running time. Indeed, few dare to. Director Cao Dun has crafted a sumptuous adaptation of Ma Boyong’s sprawling novel of the same name for the small screen that has captivated audiences in China since its initial release in 2019. 在48 集的长度中，很少有历史剧可以达到《长安十二时辰》的高度，确实，很少有人。这部剧首发在2019 年，曹盾导演将马伯庸的同名小说搬上了大屏幕，该片一经问世就创造了收视奇迹。 Chang’an, the glittering beacon of the Tang Dynasty, is the location for a pulsating drama that feels distinctly modern in tone, despite its 8th-century setting. Chang’an has been brought to life with unwavering attention to detail - from each silk-woven fiber worn by its actors to the lavish sets constructed by a production team who spent more than seven months building the busy streets of the capital of Tang Dynasty-era China. The architecture in the series has been profoundly realized, with pagodas, temples, monasteries, and palaces all brought to life with unfaltering accuracy. 长安，唐朝璀璨的灯塔，是中国各朝代中最辉煌的存在，尽管《长安十二时辰》的故事背景是 8 世纪，但它的基调却非常现代，当时的长安被完整的复原在观众眼前——从服装的每一根丝织纤维，到花费七个多月建造的大唐繁华街道，宝塔、寺庙、寺院和宫殿都栩栩如生，唐朝的建筑得到了完美的展现，大唐盛世跃然于荧屏之上。 The Longest Day In Chang’an tells a thrilling story that is constructed using layer upon layer of complex narrative scaffolding. The story centers around a former police detective turned death-row convict, Zhang Xiaojing (played with menacing verve by Li Jiayan) who is granted a temporary 24-hour reprieve by the head of the ‘Peacekeeper Corps’, Li Bi, to foil a terrorist attack on the city. What at first seems like a fairly cut-and-dry case, proves to be anything but, as Zhang Xiaojing and Li Bi learn of a larger plot - one which threatens the very fabric of society and that is balanced on the precarious axis of political unrest. 《长安十二时辰》讲述了一个由层层复杂叙事构成的惊心动魄的故事。故事围绕前捕头变死囚的张小敬（雷佳音饰演），被“维和总队”负责人李必（易烊千玺饰演）特赦24 小时，条件是他要协助挫败一场对长安的恐怖袭击。乍看之下，似乎一个一个案子没有任何关联，但随着张小敬和李必的深入调查，他们发现了一个更大的秘密——一个试图打破政治平衡，威胁社会的阴谋。 Despite the series’ sweeping scale, the drama that unfolds feels intimate and, at times, even claustrophobic. No dramatic stone is left unturned, and each character is afforded significant screen time. Director Cao Dun is keen to illustrate that Chang’an, despite its majestic veneer, which has been brought to life with magisterial prowess, is a city composed of rigid class and power structures that are manacled by tradition. There is an overriding sense throughout the series that an ominous future beckons for the people of Chang’an, and change will occur either through progressive means or by annihilation. 尽管该系列制作规模宏大，但故事情节却让人感到熟悉，有时甚至感觉就在身边。剧情没有任何拖沓，每个角色都用大量的内容去诠释。曹盾导演热衷于讲故事，长安虽然有着雄伟的外表，威风凛凛，但它是一个由传统束缚，有严格阶级和权力结构的城市，有着一种压倒一切的感觉，让人感觉有一个不祥的未来在向长安人招手，这种变化要么让人进步，要么让人毁灭。 Chang’an espouses a culture of binaries, which is communicated adroitly in the show by its use of the ancient symbolic dichotomy of ‘Yin’ and ‘Yang’. Li Bi (elegantly played by Jackson Yee), is the show’s moral compass, and early on he is introduced to the concept of “Wu,” which pertains to the intersection of these two opposing polemics. Each character is bound by honor and service to a superior power. That is, except for Zhang Xiaojing. Zhang is the show’s all-action outlier, who confidently and purposefully refuses to “play by the rules.” 长安信奉一种二元文化，故事巧妙地运用了具有象征性的“阴”“阳”来传达这种文化。李必（易烊千玺饰演）是该剧的道德标杆，他很早就被引入了“无”的概念，游离在阴阳之外。每个角色都被荣誉和权力的束缚，只为上级力量服务， 只有张小敬除外。张小敬是该剧中另类的存在，他拒绝“按规则行事”。 The Longest Day In Chang’an prefaces contemporary issues within a historical context, with the all too familiar modern-day trope of political unrest bubbling away behind some genuinely spectacular action sequences. However, despite being similar in style to shows such as 24, The Longest Day In Chang’an should not be considered an all-out action affair. Tension is twisted like a knife and time feels stretched and slowed down to foreground the show’s thematic proclivities. Rarely is an action sequence included without considerable preluding, and the result is often breathtaking. 《长安十二时辰》在历史背景下对当代问题进行了映射，在一系列的故事背后，是人们再熟悉不过的现代政治动荡的比喻。然而，尽管与《24小时》美剧风格相似，但《长安十二时辰》不应被视为动作片，它的情节像刀子一样扭曲，节奏张力时快时慢，没有太多的铺垫和预告，而结果确让人叹为观止，一切创作都在为突出主题服务。 Despite its expansiveness, the show never falls short in meticulously respecting historical precedent. The Longest Day In Chang’an has as much to say about contemporary Chinese culture as it does about history, and it is a wonderfully rich and detailed history lesson at that. Chang’an has been brought to life with a deft and exquisite touch. As a viewer, we are given a sense of what it was like to live in what was the most populated, prosperous, and advanced city in the world at the time. 尽管它的主题很广，但该剧在一丝不苟地尊重历史，同时，《长安十二时辰》也用同样的笔墨展示了当代中国的精神世界，就像是一堂非常丰富和详实的历史课。长安被赋予了灵巧而精致的触感，作为观众，我们对生活在当时世界上人口最多、最繁荣、最先进的城市有了身临其境的感觉。 Tang Dynasty scholars were consulted in pre-production, with Jackson Yee’s character Li Bi in particular given almost microscopic attention to historical detail in both his dress and stately decorum. There was a rich emphasis on the culture of words and poetry during the reign of the Tang Dynasty, and this is evoked in the show with even soldiers professing to be aspiring poets and wordsmiths. The culture of Tang was one of progress, and the series makes sure it emphasizes this transitionary period in history, showing the character of Xu Bin (Zhao Wei) animatedly encouraging his master Li Bi to either adapt to progressive means of material production or bear witness to Tang’s downfall. The music in the show also draws the viewer closer to the action. The crashing of drums is the heartbeat to which the audience is both transfixed and transported through the show’s diegesis, while the camera weaves through crowds at shoulder height to give the sense that viewers are very much at the center of the action as if they too were clinging to the coattails of Zhang Xiaoling. 制片方在前期咨询了唐代学者，尤其是易烊千玺的角色李必，无论是穿着还是礼仪，都对历史细节都进行了近乎完美的还原。唐朝非常重视文字和诗歌，这在剧中也得到了体现，甚至连士兵说的话也像是饱读诗书的诗人。唐朝是中国人思想飞跃的时代，该剧着重强调这一点，从徐宾（赵魏饰）的性格就能看出，他总是在鼓励李必要么顺势而为，要么被历史淘汰。本剧中的音乐也非常写实，比如轰隆隆的鼓声形象的展示出观众在故事发展过程中被震撼和感动的心跳，而摄影机在齐肩高的人群中穿梭，观众身临其境，一直在尾随着张小敬。 The show’s heroes are youthful and progressive and their values are at odds with the aging ‘old order’. The lantern festival, which is the focus of the terrorist’s plot, is symbolic of prosperity, but it is also portentous; the lanterns are lit to vanquish evil, but they have also unwittingly ushered it closer. The true evil that is present within Chang’an is not only harbored by its malevolent infiltrators but, too, by the ruling bureaucrats who have long suppressed and neglected the country’s working classes. The series makes sure that the audience is reminded at all times that the working classes are its true protagonists. If order is to be genuinely restored then Chang’an’s ‘homemade heroes’ must bring about fundamental societal change. 该剧的主角们代表着年轻和进步，他们的价值观与“旧秩序”显得格格不入。 元宵节，成为恐怖分子实施阴谋的时间，它是繁荣的象征，但也成为不祥之兆；灯笼是为了战胜邪恶而点亮的，但它也为邪恶指引了道路。长安内部真正的邪恶不仅来自有野心的阴谋者，也来自长期压制和忽视国家工人阶级的执政官僚们。 该剧始终提醒观众，工人阶级才是本剧真正的主角，如果要恢复秩序，那么长安的“草根英雄”就必须带来根本的社会变革。 The Longest Day In Chang’an is a multi-faceted tale of intrigue with the principle of ‘legacy’ firmly situated at its center. Moral complexity abounds but, at its core, the characters in the show are fixated on how they will be remembered. The ‘Peacekeeper Corps’ is principally a place where extensive archiving is a priority for its incumbent officers. This is at odds with the tough crime-stopping exterior usually associated with these kinds of institutions. This too is an important indicator of Tang Dynasty life, where information was considered of pivotal importance. The show proposes a vital question - in a world where uncomfortable decisions must be made, how will one’s actions be remembered? 《长安十二时辰》是一部以“传承”为核心的多面阴谋故事。道德复杂性比比皆是，但从本质上讲，剧中的角色都着迷于如何才能名垂千古。“维和部队”（靖安司）是武官们想方设法都要入职的地方，因为这里与一般的执法部门不一样，这也是唐代独有的部门设定，掌握核心资源被认为是至关重要的。该剧提出了一个直击灵魂的问题——当必须做出选择时，你是要名垂千史还是要遗臭万年？ Above all, The Longest Day In Chang’an is an immersive and unforgettable show that, despite its frenetic storytelling, is in no hurry to reach its epic conclusion. The 48-episode running time may seem like a formidable undertaking, but it is worth every second.   总之，《长安十二时辰》是一部让人身临其境、令人过目难忘的电视剧，尽管故事情节很离奇，但并不影响《长安十二时辰》成为史诗般的经典，48集的集数看似很长，但每一秒都值得回味。

The story of three women who have reached their 30s and the pressure they now face. 《三十而已》是一部关于三位 30 岁女性如何应对生存压力的故事。 Being 30 years old is the focal point of Xiaobo Zhang’s formidable series “Nothing but Thirty”. Whether it’s setting goals to reach by that age, or contemplating what the next decade will bring, existential rumination abounds in the poignant contemporary drama. As subtly philosophical as it is wildly entertaining and sometimes scandalous, anchored by three charismatic female leads, “Nothing but Thirty” introduces several major Chinese talents to US audiences – and hopefully paves the path for more to come. “30 岁”是电视剧《三十而已》的焦点，无论是设定目标，还是思考计划，《三十而已》的故事中处处都充斥着对存在主义的反思。通过三位魅力四射的演员的出色演绎，在精彩有趣，有血有肉的故事中充满了对于人生哲学的思考。《三十而已》向美国观众介绍了中国电视剧最顶级的阵容，并以此为更多中国电视剧进入美国市场铺路。 Wang Man Ni (Jiang Shuying), aka Ni Ni, has lived in Shanghai for eight years. Every day, she has the same breakfast from the same stand and takes the same subway to her job at a high-end boutique. Man Ni is confident and determined, a stellar worker with an impressive list of preferred clients, utterly committed to becoming the store manager. Her daily trials and tribulations are put in perspective when she meets Liang Zhengxian (Edward Ma) on a cruise. A smooth, wealthy womanizer, he sweeps her off her feet. Yet their opinions on marriage fundamentally differ, not to mention the fact that he has a long-time girlfriend. 王漫妮（江疏影饰），又名妮妮，她在上海生活了八年。每天，她在同一个 摊位吃同样的早餐，乘坐相同时间的地铁去高档精品店上班。王漫妮自信而坚定，大客户都掌握在她的手中，她的目标就是成为店长。当她在游轮上遇到梁正贤（马志威饰）时，这让她之前所受到的考验和磨难都富余了更深刻的意义。梁正贤是一个圆滑且有钱的花花公子，他令王漫妮神魂颠倒。然而他们对婚姻的看法却有着根本的不同，更何况他还有一个交往多年的女朋友。 In the meantime, Gu Jia (Tong Yao) moves into a new, chic apartment with her son and husband Xu Huanshan (Li Zefeng), with whom she founded a successful fireworks company. “Mom is an intellectual,” Xu tells their child. Yet, despite securing Xu’s position as the company’s CEO, she is now delegated to being a housewife,. Gradually, Gu Jia faces potential financial ruin, suspects infidelity, and faces off against rich housewives who bully her son.And then there’s Zhong Xiao Qin (Mao Xiao Tong), who lives with her cat and domineering husband Chen Yu (Yang Le), who seems to love his fish more than her. They lead a self-described “average life”; she works on the bottom floor of a company, performing middling tasks; he works at a TV station. And yet, Xiao Qin maintains her cheerful disposition despite complications, like a pregnancy that Chen Yu clearly doesn’t want. “You can’t even take care of yourself, how do you expect to be a mother?” he demands. This leads to a devastating development, not to mention his beloved fish dying. Xiao Qin’s idea of a perfect marriage is gradually destroyed – but then an opportunity to pursue her true passion arrives.    与此同时，顾佳（童瑶饰）带着儿子和丈夫许幻山（李泽峰饰）搬进了崭新的公寓，他们创办了一家成功的烟花公司。“妈妈是个知识分子，”许幻山告诉儿子。然而，现在的顾佳却是一名家庭主妇，她时刻面临着潜在的经济危机，怀疑丈夫不忠，还要应付那些欺负她儿子的有钱人家的家庭主妇。第三个主角名字叫钟晓芹（毛晓彤饰），她和她的猫以及丈夫陈屿（杨玏饰）住在一起，她的霸道丈夫似乎爱鱼胜过爱她，他们过着“普通的生活”。钟晓芹在一家公司做着底层工作，陈屿在一家电视台工作。钟晓芹在平淡的生活中依然保持着开朗的性格，比如陈屿不想要孩子，“你连自己都照顾不了，怎么能当妈妈呢？”陈屿的话导致了他们的婚姻向毁灭性的方向发展，更不用说他心爱的鱼也死了。钟晓芹虽然对完美婚姻的憧憬逐渐破灭，但追求真正激情的机会却来了。 The three women’s lives cross in various ways. Throughout the season’ s 43 episodes, scandalous truths emerge, resentments flare, and characters make life-altering decisions. “Nothing but Thirty” is light and breezy, but also contains moments of surprising depth and insight – and, of course, all the requisite drama. 这三个女人的生活在很多方面都有交集。在 43 集的故事中，丑闻真相不断 涌现，怨恨情绪不断爆发，主角们也做出了改变人生的决定。《三十而已》风格 轻快而轻松，但也包含着出乎意料的深度和洞察力——当然，也有所有必要的戏 剧性元素。 Speaking of length, 43 episodes of a foreign, subtitled show may prove daunting to jaded American viewers. I personally found it refreshing, a deep dive into these characters’ intricate lives and culture, the way they evolve and ultimately discover themselves. But Xiaobo Zhang’s creation covers so much more than that: social, work,     and particularly family dynamics in contemporary China; the booming real estate market; the true value of an expensive purse; female empowerment (those women are BOSSES in every sense of the word); the many forms of discrimination; competition in an all-female workplace; the difference in social classes and how they manifest themselves; the male ego clashing with female wisdom and elegance. 说到电视剧的长度，43 集带英文字幕的电视剧可能会让美国观众望而却步。我个人却觉得这部电视剧令人耳目一新，通过这部电视剧我们可以深入了解这些角色错综复杂的生活和文化，见证他们不断成长并最终找到自我的方式。但导演张晓波的创作意图涵盖的远不止这些：当代中国社会，尤其是中国家庭现状；繁荣的房地产市场；金钱的真正价值；赋予女性权力（这些女性在任何意义上都是自己的主宰）；多种形式的歧视；女性职场竞争；社会阶层的差异及其表现方式； 大男子主义与女性主义的冲突。 We tend to hurt the ones we love the most. People rarely are who they at first seem to be: arrogant ones turn out to be lifelong friends, while pleasant folks stab you in the back. In “Nothing but Thirty”, you’dbe wise not to judge a bo ok by its cover: poor-looking people end up making massive purchases; wealthy folks exhibit cheap behavior. Sure, things are viewed mostly through the prism of three upper-middle-class women, but the series contains a wide range of keensocio-political insights. The emotions it touches upon are truly universal. 我们往往会伤害我们最爱的人。极少有人一直保持他们最初的样子：傲慢的 人最终成为终生的朋友，而和蔼可亲的人则会背后捅你一刀。《三十而已》告诉 我们，聪明的人从不以貌取人，因为看起来贫穷的人可能会有极大的购买力，而有钱人一般都比较抠门。当然，这部电视剧主要是通过三个中产阶级女性的视角来看待生活，它包含了广泛而敏锐的洞察力和人类最普遍的情感。 Countless scenes exemplify this. Gu Jia grows suspicious of her husband because of a tangerine. Later, she fights off a man’s sexual advances, before unleashing fury on several arrogant moms. Man Ni judges a customer by her appearance, to rapidly get an expected dose of reality – but then another layer of heartrending subtlety is added. Xu gets arrested for fighting with young students. A guitar solo is performed in an aquarium. A character ends up in jail. Zhong Xiaoqin’s 30thbirthday monologues alone would be worth the price of admission, as would Man Ni’s visit to a decrepit old town, which accentuates the aforementioned class differences. The list goes on and on. 电视剧中的无数场景都证明了这一点。比如顾佳因为一个橘子对丈夫产生了怀疑，反击了一个男人的挑逗，对几个傲慢的母亲大发雷霆；漫妮通过外表来判断顾客，以此迅速了解客户的真实情况——但其中还蕴含着一种令人心碎的无奈。许幻山因与年轻学生打架而被捕。单是钟晓芹三十岁的独白就已值得追剧了，漫妮走访破旧老城的场景也让人意犹未尽，这样的例子不胜枚举。 The three leads are poised, sophisticated, and progressive: strong Chinese women standing up against oppressive men and values, while also getting involved in compelling drama. Tong Yao is a force of nature, portraying razor-sharp wit and confidence. Mao Xiaotong possesses impeccable comic timing. As the youngest one of the trio, she manages to exude real pathos that matches her elders. But it’s arguably Jiang Shuying who forms the heart of the series, each gesture and flicker of expression conveying volumes. 三位主角是沉着、成熟和进步的，这部引人入胜的电视剧，正是坚强的中国 女性站起来反对男性和世俗压迫的浓缩。童瑶用一股自然的力量，塑造出顾佳犀利的智慧和自信。作为三位演员中最年轻的一个，毛晓彤用无可挑剔的喜剧元素，成功的诠释出与长辈们相比真正的悲怆。但可以说，江疏影构成了这部电视剧的核心，她的每一个手势和表情都传递着大量的信息。 Yingji Zhang’s lyrical, cerebral, and sometimes purposefully silly script brims with standout moments of dialogue. “People aren’t as lazy as cats because there’s no one to take care of us,” a character muses. “The spending here depends on earning money, not saving it,” comes another philosophical observation. “I want to buy an asteroid. Do you know where I can buy one?” a wealthy woman inquires. WeChat, the Chinese versionof WhatsApp, is hilariously mentioned a thousand times. 张英姬撰写的剧本抒情、理性，时而又有插入很多幽默的桥段，剧中的对 话也非常精彩。“人们不像猫那么懒惰，因为没有人照顾我们，”一个角色嘟囔 着。“这里的消费取决于赚钱，而不是存钱，”这是另一个哲学观点。“我想买 一颗小行星，你知道在哪能买到吗？”一位有钱的女士问道。值得注意的是，在各种回答中，微信，中国版的 WhatsApp 有多次露出。 “Nothing but Thirty” portrays life in Shanghai in minute detail. It’ s fast-paced despite lacking bombastic action, driven purely by skillful character development, confident filmmaking, and surprising revelations. More importantly, it demonstrates that the Chinese are producing progressive content that shames some of the inexplicably popular dreck on Western streaming platforms. 电视剧《三十而已》细致入微地描绘了上海的生活。尽管缺少刺激的情节，但它的节奏很快，专业的演绎、精良的制作、深刻的立意，它表明中国的创作者们正在往精品内容发展，这直接扯掉了西方某些垃圾内容的遮羞布。  This wonderful series deserves to be seen by the widest possible audience. 这部精彩的电视剧绝对值得一看。

What’s better than a smash hit? Two smash hits! Despite a second part always being on the table, everything in TV revolves around your viewing figures and nothing is a foregone conclusion. The first series powered to number one in the ratings (on Beijing TV) for each episode and with that, the second series of Like A Flowing River was inevitable. 有什么比红极一时更好？当然是连庄！尽管续集的成功是理所当然的，但在收视率面前，一切都没有定数。第一部每集的收视率（在北京卫视播出）都是排名第一，因此，《大江大河2》的成功令人期待。 Based on the novel River of Time by Ah Nai, the sprawling epic (taking place between 1988 and 1992) was conceived as a celebration of China’s open-door policy (huge economic reforms across all sectors, handing more power from government to the people). Like A Flowing River focused on the lives of ambitious young Chinese men and women in an era of rapid growth, where rural areas were developing and urbanising and farmers were looking to push themselves into the hustle and bustle of a more modern civilisation. In particular, the show focused on the trials and tribulations of Song Yunhui (Wang Kai), Lei Dongbao (Yang Shuo) and Yang Xun (Dong Zi Jian) ending on a crossroads for each of them. Tragedy, promotions and new horizons. 根据阿奈小说《时光之河》改编，《大江大河》，这部庞大的史诗巨作设定在中国改革开放的背景下，关注在快速发展的时代中，中国年轻男女的生活改变，中国农村翻天覆地的变化，城市化发展的快速进程，农民们是如何将自己推入现代文明的喧嚣之中的。特别是，本片重点讲述了宋运辉（王凯饰）、雷东宝（杨烁饰）、杨巡（董子健饰）三人在人生十字路口的选择，有困难，有提升，也有改变。  We begin season 2 approaching 1990. Song Yunhui is working for Donghai chemical, soon to be promoted to a deputy position despite his relatively young age. Meanwhile, Lei Dongbao, still recovering from tragedy (losing his wife in the first season), is given a new opportunity to start a copper wire factory. 《大江大河2》的故事发生在1990年，宋云辉在东海化工工作，虽然年轻，但很快就被提拔为副职，与此同时，雷东宝，仍未从悲剧中（第一部故事他失去了妻子）中恢复过来，他获得了开办铜线厂的新机会。 Some may find the structure of the series a little frustrating. Around a quarter of the way into this season we are reintroduced to Yang Xun. Then around the halfway point (of the 39-episode run) we’re also reintroduced to Liang Sishen (Yang Caiyu). It’s a show that requires patience given the slow burning nature. When we meet Yang Xun again he’s still full of youthful exuberance. He’s also saddled with debts, overextending himself as he tries to keep his market thriving. Yang has a great will and determination to rise out of the doldrums and capitalise on the expansive economic reforms which saw a boom in private sector enterprises. These reforms brought about by Deng Xiaoping in early 80’s China become a focal point of the intertwining stories. Yang soon sets his sites on opening a hotel. 有些人可能会对故事的结构有点不解，在故事已经过了四分之一后，杨巡出场，然后在故事过半，梁思申（杨采钰饰）出场，鉴于《大江大河2》不急不躁的叙事风格，这部剧需要耐心观看。当我们再次见到杨巡时，他仍然充满着活力，尽管他还背负着债务，但仍试图在繁荣的市场中寻找机会，经济改革的深化，私营企业蓬勃发展，让杨巡有更大的意愿和决心走出低谷，正是有了邓小平在 80 年代初对中国进行的这些改革，才会有这些故事的纷繁交织。于是，杨巡开始筹备他的酒店。 The characters and their arcs are the major strength of Like a Flowing River 2. Song is ambitious. His family struggled during the shift in government policies, and Song has fought constantly to achieve his rising positions of influence (and more so, to keep them). He pushes forward with the Donghai project, facing bureaucracy and a battle of traditionalism versus evolution. His work ethic also puts pressure on his marriage.  His wife, Cheng kaiyan (Zhou Fang), by her own admission is a little lazy and naive. She feels neglected. Cheng is also targeted by her brother and sister-in-law who seek to cash in on Song’s new project. There are financial ramifications which stretch the family drama further, not least Song’s marriage to breaking point. 人物间的矛盾是《大江大河2》剧情的主要推动力。宋运辉雄心勃勃，他的家人在政策转变中苦苦挣扎，自己也为了获得不断上升的社会地位而不断奋斗。在官僚主义、传统与现代的斗争中，他仍推进东海项目，他的职业道德也给他的婚姻带来了压力，宋运辉的妻子程开颜（周放饰），她懒惰而天真，开始觉得自己被忽视了。程开颜的兄弟和嫂子把她当成桥梁，试图从宋运辉的新项目中获利。经济上的牵扯进一步扩大了家庭矛盾冲突，宋运辉的婚姻开始岌岌可危。 Lei Dongbao, all hound-dog pathos, is racked with guilt following the death of his wife (Song’s sister). He has a position of responsibility to his workers and local villagers who have invested money and time into him. He can’t face his former in-laws nor Song initially. The former agricultural worker strives to move into industrial enterprise. He forges ahead with the risky copper wire factory despite no guarantees of it being a feasibly profitable project, and he scrapes as much money as possible (not just his own) into getting the project off the ground. Through shortcuts and human errors an explosion in the factory sets the project back and matters are complicated further when irregularities threaten Lei with the attention of the law. 雷东宝，在妻子（宋运辉的妹妹）去世后，他一蹶不振，因为他对工人和入股的村民们负有责任，他更是内疚不已。最初他无法面宋运辉，这位前农民选择了创业，尽管不能保证盈利，但他还是继续推进项目，他利用各种渠道筹集资金，由于走捷径和人为疏忽，工厂的爆炸使他的努力付诸东流，当雷东宝的违规行为触及到法律后，事情变得更加复杂。 As the show progresses, everything begins to gravitate around the Chemical plant project, which becomes intrinsically reliant on foreign investors and domestic partnerships so vital in these economic reforms but upended at every turn by the conservative elders (mirroring real life). The three old friends, Song, Lei and Yang. intermittently reconverge and soon all have vested interests in Donghai. Liang Sishen returns. She’s the most worldly of the group, having spent time in Wall Street. She represents the most distinct bridge between the burgeoning China and the international market full of expansive opportunities, but she herself is saddled by the weight of expectation and belittlement from her conservative and traditionalist grandfather. He built a prosperous empire in pre-reform days and often reminds her. The constant reneging and ever-changing government restrictions prove a thorn for all of the principal characters as conflicting ideologies of communism and socialism naturally slow business progress.   《大江大河2》的故事继续围绕化工厂项目展开，该项目本质上依赖于外国投资者和国内合作伙伴的关系，但每一个转折点都受到保守势力的阻碍。宋运辉、雷东宝、杨巡三个老朋友，步步为营，很快所有人都在东海获得了既得利益。梁思申，她是这群人中最现实的人，源于她曾在华尔街工作过，她成为蓬勃发展的中国和充满广阔机遇的国际市场之间最亮眼的存在，其实她也背负着代表着保守和传统思潮的祖父的期望，她的祖父在改革前建立了一个繁荣的帝国并经常提醒梁思申，共产主义和社会主义意识形态会减缓商业进展，因此不断更替和不断变化的政策对所有主要角色来说都是机会。 The open-door era is perhaps the most fascinating of modern Chinese history. A post-Mao generation pushing back against the current regime, searching for more freedom of enterprise and expression. Yet still, a friction between evolution and conservatism would occasionally cause difficulties for individuals, companies and industries, personified in Chinese history by Deng Xiaoping and Chen Yun, two key figures in the reforms, who had differing beliefs in how to implement reforms (with Yun having the more conservative approach). Our young protagonists, pitted against significant change, must also contend with these conflicting values still upheld by the older generation. If Song and Liang approach problems with poise and refrain, then Yang and Lei charge at issues like a bull. 改革开放是中国现代史上一个辉煌的时代，中国人在寻求更多的商业机会和言论自由，然而，进化论和保守主义之间的摩擦偶尔会给个人、公司和行业带来困难。邓小平和陈云是中国历史上改革的两个关键人物，他们对如何实施改革有着不同的观念（陈云更保守）。面对变化，主角们必须与上一代所坚持的价值观作斗争，如果说宋运辉、梁思申以谨慎的态度处理问题，那么杨巡和雷东宝则更激进。 China would inevitably expand and open (even just small) doors to foreign investment and trade. One key obstacle facing the Donghai project is the use of foreign machinery. The intricacy of these deals due to ever fluctuating international relations makes it difficult, whilst Song’s preference for American products is blocked at every turn by his conservative superiors who want to use cheaper, inferior Japanese machinery for the sake of maintaining established relationships over building newer ones.   中国将不可避免地打开外国投资和国际贸易的大门，东海项目成功的关键就是进口机械，由于国际关系的不断波动，交易的复杂性使项目变得困难，而宋运辉对使用美国产品的坚持则处处受到他的保守上司的阻挠，他们想用更便宜、劣质的日本机器来维持现有的关系而不是建立新的关系。 Director Li Xue, never shies away from shining a light on the difficulties faced by companies, and the people within them, during this time of major economic reform. Old versus new, tradition versus progress, insulation versus expansion. The aspirational rural villagers, seeking to broaden their world to the big City lights have mounted themselves with debts from local strong arms, banks and relatives. China continues to develop, but 30 years ago that boom was particularly huge, and it goes without saying, many probably pushed their ambitions to absolute financial limits. Success or ruination on a knife edge. 导演李雪，从不回避经济改革时期的矛盾，给予企业和个人更多的关注。旧与新，传统与进步，保守与激进，有梦想的村民，背负着债务，就是为了实现他们的城市梦。中国现在的发展举世瞩目，这是改革开放在短短30年间造就的辉煌，当然，其中也不乏有些人将金钱作为目标，在刀刃上行走。 Like a Flower River 2 is an enthralling show that will interest lovers of history as much as drama. From a technical standpoint the show is lavish. The production design is very impressive, beautifully creating a period of time that looks sprawling, rather than confined to basic interiors. It has impressive production values, with stunning cinematography. The music by Dong Yingda is the perfect balance of uplift and melancholy. The show never succumbs to melodrama either, which can sometimes hamper the international appeal of Chinese dramas. Wang Kai and Yang Shuo in particular are superb, headlining an excellent cast. 《大江大河2》是一部引人入胜的电视剧，既吸引了历史爱好者，也吸引了戏剧爱好者。从专业的角度来看，本剧可以用奢华来形容，剧本令人印象深刻，将三人的命运与时代交织在一起，而不仅局限于人的主观驱动力。《大江大河2》有着殷实的投资，精美的摄影，董颖达制作的音乐，将昂扬与忧郁完美的平衡，可以看得出来，《大江大河2》的创作者们不满足于仅仅制作一部情节剧，其实这种类型有时会阻碍中国剧集的国际吸引力。值得一提的是，王凯和杨烁，演技精湛。

Meet Mr.Bai, the headmaster of a one-room school in an impoverished, experimental farming community in China’s vast Gobi Desert.  His school needs many material improvements but he’s a devoted teacher, so he makes do with what little they’ve got. One thing he’d love to see is a new playground. He keeps applying for funds from the local district government, but his requests go ignored.  白校长生活在中国戈壁沙滩的贫困的实验性农业社区里，他的学校只有一间教室。学校物资贫乏，他力所能及的利用有限资源勉强维持着。他想建一个新的操场，于是向当地区政府申请资金，但他的申请迟迟没有回复。 Impassioned and frustrated, he finally takes the drastic step of going over the local politicians’ heads and complaining in person to the regional government. Before he knows it, he’s thrown into the shark tank of local politics. How much is he willing to compromise his ideals just to get a playground? 义愤填膺、无奈之下，他决定越过当地政府，直接向上级政府申请。在不知不觉中，他卷进了一场纷争中。为了得到一个操场，他愿意在多大程度上妥协呢？ Yikes. All of this drama for a village playground could be the comedic makings of a wry satire a la Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Servant of the People, but this story is set a lot further east, and treats its subject matter with a dignity and respect I found refreshing in our age of cynicism. 建操场这个情节可能是向弗拉基米尔·泽连斯基的讽刺喜剧《人民的仆人》致敬，但《山海情》的故事背景更具中国特色，所以在这个玩世不恭的时代，我们要以严肃和尊重的态度看待这部剧的主题。 Mr. Bai’s passion for a playground is but one subplot among many in the 2021 Chinese TV series Minning (a close pronunciation in English would be Ming-Ning) Town, produced by Daylight Entertainment (Nirvana in Fire, Ode to Joy, Like a Flowing River, The Story of Ming Lan). The trials of the beleaguered Mr. Bai (played by Zu Feng) brought to mind one of my favorite overlooked 19th century US novels, Edward Eggleston’s The Hoosier Schoolmaster, which has twice been adapted to film. Other times, this heartwarming saga delving into frontier life reminded me of cherished classic American series like Little House on the Prairie and The Waltons. But Minning Town isn’t about a bygone era. It covers a roughly 15-year period from 1991 to 2016, and its setting is the Gobi Desert. 白校长对操场的执著是电视剧《山海情》的众多情节中，制作团队是《琅琊榜》、《欢乐颂》、《大江大何》、《知否知否应是绿肥红瘦》等电视剧的班底。陷入困境的白校长（祖峰饰）让我想起了我最喜欢的一部被忽视的 19 世纪美国小说，爱德华·埃格尔斯顿的《印第安纳大学校长》，它曾两次被改编成电影，同时，这部探索边疆生活的电视剧让我想起了美国经典剧集，《草原上的小屋》和《沃尔顿一家》，但《山海情》的时代背景并不是一个过去的时代， 这部剧横跨1991年到2016年大约15年的时间，而发生地则是戈壁滩。 Inspired by real events and the lives of ordinary farmers, the setup is that China’s Central Government has launched a poverty alleviation program in which economically disadvantaged villagers living hardscrabble lives in remote mountains are cajoled into relocating to the vast desert to try and make it bloom. Hey, if the US can build sprawling cities like Las Vegas and Los Angeles on top of a desert, why can’t they? 取材于真实事件和普通农民的生活，《山海情》设定在中国政府启动了一项扶贫计划，在该计划中，在偏远山区经济困难村民被招募到广袤的沙漠中，试图让沙漠变绿洲。如果美国可以在沙漠上建造像拉斯维加斯和洛杉矶这样的庞大城市，中国为什么不能呢？ But there is literally nothing there for the villagers. All they have to go on is faith that the Central Government will follow through on its promises to irrigate the land for crops while they build homes, or rather shacks, with no electricity and no indoor plumbing. But if they just hang tough, things will gradually improve, or so they are promised. Permanent homes will be built. And a hospital. And a bus line to the city. 但对于支边的村民来说，这里一穷二白，凭借信念和政府的支持，他们在没有电和厕所的房屋，准确的说是棚屋里居住，灌溉土地以种植农作物，他们相信只要坚持不懈，一切都会好转，房子会有的，医院会有的，通往市区的公交线路，也会有的。 Should they trust the government?  Would you trust your government? Some of the villagers do and some don’t. Some consider making this leap of faith an act of patriotism while others are more cynical and set in their ways. Indeed, there are many deserters along the way who make a break for it at the first sign of a sandstorm and run back to their harsh but familiar home villages. 他们应该相信政府吗？你会相信你的政府吗？ 有的村民有，有的没有。 一些人认为这种信仰是爱国主义的飞跃，而另一些人则更加愤世嫉俗并固执己见。 的确，过程中有许多逃兵，一有风沙征兆就逃之夭夭，跑回他们贫穷但熟悉的家乡。 But ultimately, this isn’t a show about deserters. It’s a show about the pioneers who stuck it out and continue thriving there to this day. Some characters are narrow minded villagers who find honor in sticking with tradition. 但《山海情》并不是关于放弃的电视剧，这是一部关于先驱者们坚持下去并在那里继续蓬勃发展的故事。有些角色就是一根筋，他们以坚持传统为荣。 I was particularly struck when the young woman Shuihua (Rayza) runs away from home to escape a marriage her father has arranged with a young man from a neighboring village in exchange for a donkey (yes, that is value placed on her), only to be overcome by family guilt and trudge home to fulfil her father’s wishes and honor tradition. At first, I was troubled by the filmmakers’ apparent messaging here about the need for women to be dutiful to men as their primary purpose in life, but then I thought, like it or not this is probably true for a woman in a rural farming village. 当年轻的李水花离家出走时，我特别震惊，因为她父亲安排她嫁给邻村的一个年轻人，以换取一头驴，为了维护家庭的传统和父亲的愿望，她只有跋涉回家。起初，我对导演在这里传达的信息感到困扰，女性需要对男性绝对服从，这是她们生存的目的，但后来我想通了，不管你喜不喜欢，这就是当时的现状。 I had nothing to fear. Shuihua’s is but one storyline in the series. We meet an array of women on the show who follow a variety of paths and have their own ideologies and who pursue their own dreams for their futures. And as for Shuihua, we keep following her on her marital and professional journey through the end of the series. She’s a complex character struggling to find her footing in a new world as the old ways crumble beneath her feet. 但我没有什么好担心的，李水花的故事只是一个情节，我们在故事中遇到了一系列女性，她们走不同的道路，拥有自己的思想，追求自己的梦想。至于李水花，我们会一直关注她的婚姻和职业生涯，直到剧集结束。她是一个复杂的角色，努力在新世界中找到自己的立足点，因为旧世界正在她的脚下分崩离析。 Every episode put a lump in my throat at least once, and I can’t wait to watch it with my son because the stories are universal to the human condition. They just happen to be set in China. All of us have somewhere in our family and national histories stories of immigrants arriving in a harsh new place and having a go of it. For some of us, this happened generations ago. For others, it’s happening right now somewhere in the world, as anyone following the news knows. 每一集至少让我的喉咙有一次哽咽，我迫不及待地想和我儿子一起看，因为这些故事是普遍的，只是中国将它们拍出来了。在我们的家庭和国家历史中，我们的祖先都有移民开荒的故事。对于一些人来说，这发生在几代人之前，对于其他人来说，正如新闻报道，它仍在世界某个地方发生着。 Either way, you will surely find yourself rooting for the characters. I was engrossed, waiting to see what would happen with lead character Defu (Huang Xuan), a young man in his early 20’s on whom the government thrusts the title of village spokesman. He has no political aspirations but he’s favored in his community because he holds a two-year college degree in agriculture. Many of his community’s daily problems with the desert relocation program will fall on his shoulders. 无论哪种方式，你肯定会发现自己支持角色。我全神贯注，等着看主角马得福（黄轩饰）会发生什么事儿，他是一个 20 岁出头的年轻人，政府授予他代理村主任头衔。他没有政治抱负，但他在社区中受到青睐，因为他拥有两年制农业大学学位。他的村子在沙漠搬迁计划中遇到的许多日常问题都将落在他的肩上。 He must learn diplomacy and politicking in a hurry, while worried sick about his own family and friends. For instance, in one storyline a group of early teens, including his kid brother Debao (Bai Yufan) and headmaster Mr. Bai’s daughter Maimiao (Huang Yao), run away from home, sending the community into a frenzy. 他必须赶紧学习外交和政治，同时关注自己的家人和朋友。例如，在一个故事情节中，包括他的弟弟马得宝（白宇帆饰）和白校长的女儿白麦苗（黄尧饰）在内的一群十几岁的孩子离家出走，让整个村子陷入了疯狂。 Along with the seriousness, there are moments of homespun humor peppered throughout that made me laugh out loud. When an official arrives from the faraway city of Fujian, a southeast coastal province designated by the Central government to help them out of poverty, and in his Fujian dialect lays out a vision for the future in which the community will grow mushrooms and sell them in the nearest city, thus “building a bridge” for their survival, the villagers scratch their heads wondering why the hell anyone would want to build a bridge in the desert when there’s no water. 除了严肃之外，还有一些朴素的幽默感贯穿始终，让我大笑起来。当一位官员从遥远的福建省来帮助他们摆脱贫困时，用他的福建方言描绘了一个未来的愿景，村子将种植蘑菇并出售到最近的城市里，为他们的致富“建造起一座桥梁”，村民们挠头想知道为什么在没有水的情况下会有人想在沙漠中建造一座桥梁。 He realizes with some embarrassment that his bridge metaphor in his Fujian dialect went over their heads and tries again in simpler terms: they will sell their produce at farmers markets in the city. This is met with lots of smiles and nods of approval; that is, if it’s for real. Can they trust the government, or will this desert experiment be abandoned, leaving them to wither and die? This uncertainty about their future is a specter that hangs over them throughout the series.  他有些尴尬地意识到，他桥梁的比喻村民们根本听不懂，并再次尝试用更简单的语言解释，他们将帮助村民在城市的农贸市场出售蘑菇，这个解释得到了村民的微笑和赞同的点头。也就是说，能否出售出去，决定了他们是坚持还是放弃，这种关于他们未来的不确定性贯穿整个故事。 And don’t get me started on the humor, heartbreak and heroism of the great mushroom caper. An esteemed agriculture expert, Prof. Ling (Huang Jue) settles nearby, temporarily so he believes, to conduct experiments to learn what grasses can be grown to control desert erosion. As a side project, he tries growing mushrooms in small amounts to test whether they might be commercially viable for the farmers. 把幽默、心碎和英雄主义放一边。一位受人尊敬的农业专家凌教授（黄觉饰）暂居在村里，实验种植哪种植物可以有效的控制沙漠侵蚀，作为一个附带项目，他尝试少量种植蘑菇，以测试它们对农民是否具有商业可行性。 The possibility of a cash crop is good enough for the villagers who, when they get wind of his experiments, are raring to take the gamble. He’s reluctant to take the risk at this early stage of his research, but after getting to know the farmers and seeing their dire circumstances first-hand, he’s convinced to use their entire community for his experiment. 对于村民们来说，种植经济作物已经能解决基本温饱了，都不愿冒险种植蘑菇，其实开始的时候凌教授自己也不愿意，但随着时间流逝，他亲眼目睹了村民们的悲惨境遇后，他决定要用他的实验证明种植蘑菇致富的可能性。 Minning Town’s glaring problem is a recurring, i.e., predictable, five-part deus ex machina cycle in several subplots, as follows: local or low-level authority figures are not to be trusted; an impoverished major character has no choice but to be subservient to them; the authority figure callously refuses to address their concerns; in a last-ditch effort, the character in question goes over the authority figure’s head to a more powerful authority figure who turns out to be an avuncular benefactor who almost magically solves their problem while chastising the lower level authority figure; and lastly, our major character learns that authority figures are to be trusted after all so it’s best to work within the system, so they express tremendous gratitude to their savior. 《山海情》中的突出问题在情节中反复出现，这是可预测的，符合故事发展的定律，就是开始时地方政府或职权低的人物不被信任；一个穷困潦倒的主角别无选择，只能等待；但他们不作为；于是，主角越级，找到了一个更有权力的人物，结果证明这是对的举动，他解决了问题，同时惩罚了职权低的人物；最后，人们对主角表达了感谢。 The benevolent authority figure is often a representative of the government, so this repetitive, thematic messaging to always work within the system comes to feel heavy-handed and propagandistic. I’m not sure whether it’s the result of China’s notoriously strict censorship laws (CNN, 7/8/22) which require that TV shows not in any way harm the government or social stability (Time, 3/4/16), or a lack of inventiveness from the writers, but it’s a palpable part of the series. 权威人士通常是政府的代表，所以这种重复的、主题性的情节让人感觉很严厉和具有宣传性。我不确定这是否是审查制度要求影视剧不得以任何方式损害政府或社会稳定的结果，或者是编剧缺乏创造力，但这是本剧故事的重要组成。   For instance, later in the series, Maimiao, now 16, becomes eligible to work in an electronics factory in Fujian. For a village girl this is an opportunity to send money home to her family, and it’s a glamorous change that offers her newfound freedom. When she and her coworkers are being harshly treated by their immediate supervisor Ms. Yang (Zhou Fang), I could already guess how Maimiao would solve the crisis. I turned out to be right. 例如，在本剧的后半部分，现年 16 岁的麦苗有资格在福建的一家电子厂工作。对于一个乡村女孩来说，这是一个向家人寄钱回家的机会，这是一个迷人的变化，为她提供了新的自由。当她和同事受到直属上司杨女士（周放）的严厉对待时，我已经猜到麦苗会如何解决危机。事实证明我是对的。 Despite this mild thematic shortcoming, the show is always dramatically engaging, professionally produced with a big-budget feel, beautifully shot, and its cast is as good as any you’ll find on US broadcast or streaming television. As a lover of international cinema and streaming series, I’m especially excited by it, as the US is in the midst of a surprising international content boom. 除了剧情套路以外，本剧总体是引人入胜的，制作精良，高额投资，拍摄精美，阵容强大。作为国际影视和流媒体的爱好者，我对能看到这部作品感到特别兴奋，说明美国正处于国际内容热潮的席卷之中。 Streaming content from around the world is increasingly available at our fingertips. 10 years ago—heck, even five years ago—I simply could not have imagined Americans, actual Americans, flocking to their TVs and mobile screens to watch anything with subtitles, whereas it’s been the norm in other countries for decades. I’m thrilled to see this window on global entertainment finally opening here. 来自世界各地的影视内容越来越触手可及。10 年前——可能是 5 年前——我根本无法想象美国人，会抱着他们的电视和手机屏幕观看带英文字幕的内容，而这在其他国家已经成为常态。我很高兴看到这个关于全球娱乐的窗口终于在这里打开了。 Netflix is the leader of this phenomenon (RRR and Squid Game come to mind as recent examples) but Amazon Prime is not far behind (Mirzapur, The Deep House, et al) in normalizing international content for US audiences.  “[A]ll COVID did was accelerate an already emerging trend,” explains writer Jeff Kotuby for The Streamable (“U.S. Appetite for Foreign Streaming Content Surges to New Highs,” 3/19/21). He pinpoints 2019 as the year of Americans’ paradigm shift toward embracing global entertainment. Netflix 是这一现象的领导者，但亚马逊在为美国观众提供标准化国际内容方面也不甘落后。“新冠病毒在加速这个趋势，”作家杰夫·科图比在《 The Streamable》杂志里这么说（摘自《美国对外国流媒体内容的胃口飙升至新高》，21 年 3 月 19 日），他指出 2019 年是美国人拥抱全球娱乐的一年。 Prof. Paolo Sismondi of USC coined the term “glocalization” to describe this uniquely 21st century sensation a decade ago in his book The Digital Glocalization of Entertainment:New Paradigms in the 21st Century Global Mediascape (Springer, 2012).  He elaborated on his term last year in an article he wrote for The Conversation (“Netflix’s big bet on foreign content and international viewers could upend the global mediascape – and change how people see the world,” 4/7/21), enhancing the term to include “a company operating globally, adapting its content to meet the expectations of locally situated audiences across the world.” 十年前，南加州大学的保罗·西斯蒙第教授在他的著作《娱乐的数字全球本地化：21 世纪全球媒体景观中的新范式》（Springer，2012 年出版）中创造了“全球本地化”一词来描述这种独特效应。去年，他在为 The Conversation 撰写的一篇文章中详细阐述了他的观点，“一家在全球运营的公司，调整其内容以满足世界各地观众的期望。”（《Netflix 对外国内容和国际观众的赌注可能会颠覆全球媒体格局——并改变人们看待世界的方式》”21 年 4 月 7 日出版） Does Minning Town romanticize poverty?  Of course it does, it’s a TV show. So did Little House on the Prairie, The Waltons, The Hoosier Schoolmaster, and every Hollywood screwball comedy made during the Great Depression. And they’re all awesome. As Sisismondi writes: TV and movies are one way that people, as we go through life, make sense of the world…often it is media that exposes people to other cultures, above and beyond our own . . .But media portrayals may well be inaccurate. Certainly, they are incomplete. That’s because movies and TV series aren’t necessarily meant to depict reality; they are designed for entertainment. As a result, they can be misleading, if not biased, based on and perpetuating stereotypes. But the way people are exposed to media entertainment is changing. Today streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Apple TV+ and Disney+ collectively have 1 billion subscribers globally. 《山海情》把贫穷浪漫化了吗？当然，这是电视剧。《草原上的小屋》和《沃尔顿一家》、《印第安纳大学校长》以及大萧条时期制作的每一部好莱坞怪诞喜剧都是如此，他们都很棒。正如西斯蒙第在上述文章中所写： 电视和电影是人们在生活中理解世界的一种方式……通常是媒体让人们接触到其他文化，超越自己的文化。 电视和电影用强有力的图像和故事来填补知识空白，这些图像和故事告诉我们思考不同文化的方式……但媒体的描述很可能是不准确的。当然，它们是不完整的，那是因为电影和电视剧不一定要描绘现实，它们是为娱乐而诞生的，因此，如果没有偏见的话，它们会基于和延续刻板印象而产生误导，但人们接触媒体娱乐的方式正在发生变化。如今，Netflix、Amazon Prime、Apple TV+ 和 Disney+ 等流媒体平台在全球共有 10 亿用户。 You’re probably in that number, but you don’t need to subscribe to any of those platforms to see Minning Town. You can catch all 23 episodes on Youtube for free, and yes, you can turn on the English subtitles. Why not start with trailer? 您可能就是那些没有订阅这些平台的人，但您无需订阅即可观看《山海情》，比如在 Youtube 上就可免费观看。 Enjoy. 祝您观影愉快！